[Determination of 145 pharmaceuticals and personal care products in eleven categories in water by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry]

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are emerging contaminants frequently detected in aquatic environments at trace levels. These chemicals have diverse structures and physicochemical properties and includes pharmaceuticals like antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs, antiviral drugs, and psychotropic drugs that are widely used in large quantities worldwide. Considering the large number of pharmaceuticals currently in usage, it is crucial to establish a priority list of PPCPs that should be monitored and/or treated first. An accurate understanding of the occurrence and levels of PPCPs in aquatic environments is essential for providing objective materials for monitoring these emerging contaminants. Therefore, accurate, efficient, sensitive, and high-throughput screening techniques need to be established for determining and quantifying PPCPs. This study developed a method for the determination of 145 PPCPs (grouped into eleven categories: antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs, antidiabetic drugs, antiviral drugs, β-receptor agonists, nitroimidazoles, H2 receptor antagonists, psychotropic drugs, hypolipidemic drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and others) in water. The method was based on large volume direct injection without sample enrichment and cleanup and used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Water samples were collected and filtered through a 0.22-μm regenerated cellulose (RC) filter membrane. Subsequently, Na2EDTA was added to the samples to adjust their pH to 6.0-8.0. Internal standards were mixed with the solutions, and because of the addition of Na2EDTA, the interference of metal ions could be eliminated in the determination of compounds, especially for tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics. Among the six filter membranes tested in this study (PES, PFTE-Q, PFTE, MCE, GHP, and RC), RC filter membranes were screened for water sample filtration. The UHPLC-MS/MS parameters were optimized by comparing the results of various mobile phases, as well as by establishing the best instrumental conditions. The 145 PPCPs were separated using an Phenomenex Kinetex C18 column (50 mm×3 mm, 2.6 μm) via gradient elution. The mobile phases were 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution containing 5 mmol/L ammonium formate and acetonitrile for positive ion modes, 5 mmol/L aqueous solutions of ammonium formate and acetonitrile for negative ion modes. The samples were quantified using the scheduled multiple reaction monitoring (scheduled-MRM) mode with electrospray ionization in positive and negative ion modes. A standard internal calibration procedure was used to calculate contents of sample. The established method was systematically verified, and it demonstrated a good linear relationship. The average recoveries of the 145 PPCPs at the three spiked levels were in the range of 80.4%-128% with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=6) of 0.6%-15.6%. The method detection limits (MDLs) ranged from 0.015 to 5.515 ng/L. Finally, the optimization method was applied to analyze the 145 PPCPs in 11 surface water samples and 6 drinking water samples. Overall, 93 (64%) out of the 145 analytes were detected. The total contents of the PPCPs in surface water samples ranged from 276.9 to 2705.7 ng/L. The detection frequencies of antidiabetic, antiviral, and psychotropic drugs were 100%. The total contents of the PPCPs in drinking water samples ranged from 140.5 to 211.5 ng/L, and antibiotics, antidiabetic drugs, and antiviral drugs comprised the largest proportion of analytes (by mass concentration) in drinking water samples. Our method exhibited high analytical speed and high sensitivity. It is thus suitable for the trace analysis and determination of the 145 PPCPs in environmental water and showed improved detection efficiency for PPCPs in water, indicating that it has a high potential for practical applications. This study can extend technical support for further pollution-level analysis of PPCPs in water and provide an objective basis for environmental management.

[Distribution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of PPCPs in Surface Water and Sediments of Lakes in the Lower Reaches of the Huaihe River]

In order to understand the occurrence characteristics and ecological risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface water and sediments of Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, 43 surface water and sediment samples from 23 sampling sites were collected, and 61 PPCPs were detected in the samples. The concentration level and spatial distribution of target PPCPs in Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake were analyzed, the distribution coefficient of typical PPCPs in the water/sediment system in the study area was calculated, and the ecological risk of target PPCPs was evaluated using the entropy method. The results showed that the PPCPs in surface water of Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake were 1.56-2534.44 ng·L^-1 and 3.32-1027.47 ng·L^-1, respectively, and those in sediment were 1.7-926.7 ng·g^-1 and 1.02-289.37 ng·g^-1, respectively. The concentrations of lincomycin (LIN) in surface water and doxycycline (DOX) in sediment were the highest, and antibiotics were the main components. The spatial distribution of PPCPs was higher in Hongze Lake and lower in Gaoyou Lake. The distribution characteristics of typical PPCPs in the study area showed that typical PPCPs tended to stay in the water phase, and there was a significant correlation between lg K_oc and lg K_d, indicating that total organic carbon (TOC) played an important role in the distribution of typical PPCPs in the water/sediment system. The ecological risk assessment results showed that the ecological risk of PPCPs to algae in surface water and sediment was significantly higher than that of fleas and fish, the ecological risk value of PPCPs in surface water was higher than that in sediment, and the ecological risk of Hongze Lake was higher than that of Gaoyou Lake.

[Development of a multi-residue detection method for 27 typical pharmaceuticals and personal-care products in plants and analysis of their migration patterns in sprouts]

An analytical method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of 27 pharmaceutical and personal-care product (PPCP) residues in plants. The enrichment and cleanup of PPCPs in plants were achieved using an HLB extraction column, and the separation was performed on a BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with 0.1% formic acid water-acetonitrile as the mobile phase via gradient elution. PPCPs were detected with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in positive-ion multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The limits of detection and quantification of the 27 PPCPs in plants were 0.01-0.30 μg/kg and 0.03-0.98 μg/kg, respectively. Good linearities were observed with coefficients of determination (r2) >0.99. The spiked recoveries were between 80.8% and 122.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 1.0% and 9.9%. The method was subsequently used to study sprouts grown in different concentrations of PPCPs. A total of 10 PPCPs were detected in sprouts grown in medium with a low concentration PPCPs, 13 PPCPs were detected in sprouts grown in medium with a moderate concentration of PPCPs, and 19 PPCPs were detected in sprouts grown in medium with a high concentration of PPCPs. These results showed that plants grown in water bodies contaminated with PPCPs or irrigated with water contaminated with PPCPs absorbed and accumulated these substances and that the amount and type of PPCPs absorbed by plants were closely related to the levels of PPCPs in the external environment. Analysis of the contents of PPCPs in different plant tissues revealed a general distribution of root>stem>leaf. Haemosibutramine showed a tissue distribution of leaf>stem>root, while glibenclamide showed a distribution of root>leaf>stem; these results revealed differences in the distribution of PPCPs in plants. Calculation of the transfer factor (TF) of the PPCPs in plants demonstrated significant differences in the transferability of different PPCPs, with TF=2.34 for haemosibutramine and TF=1.25 for chlorosibutramine. The results showed that among the drugs that migrated in plants, haemonosibutramine and chlorosibutramine had the strongest migration ability in sprouts, followed by nicardipine and chlorpheniramine maleate, and amantadine, N-monodesmethyl sibutramine, carbamazepine and flumequine had the weakest migration ability. Once absorbed, these compounds were transferred to the stems and/or leaves, where they accumulate and cause potential harm by contaminating other plant organs. Therefore, PPCPs such as homosibutramine and chlorosibutramine, which easily migrate in plants, should be given extra attention in future studies. The method is simple in pre-treatment, sensitive and accurate, and can be widely applied to the detection of PPCP residues in plant samples.

[Multimedia Distribution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of 22 PPCPs in the Water Environment of Qingpu District, Yangtze River Delta Demonstration Area]

In this study, 50 surface water and sediment samples were collected from 25 sampling points in Qingpu District (including Taipu River basin, Jinze Reservoir, and Qingxi country park) in the Yangtze River Delta integration demonstration area, and 22 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the samples were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS-MS). The distribution characteristics, sources, and influencing factors of targeted PPCPs in the study area were studied in detail. The ecological and health risks of the target PPCPs were evaluated using the quotients method. The results showed that a total of 19 PPCPs were detected in the surface water and sediment samples from 25 sampling points in Qingpu District, with total concentrations ranging from 0.06 to 178.67 ng·L^-1 and 0.07 to 37.68 ng·g^-1, respectively. The average value of sulfachloropyridazine (SCP) in the surface water was the highest with a concentration of 129.54 ng·L^-1, whereas the average value of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in the sediment was the highest with a concentration of 70.62 ng·g^-1. The spatial distribution of the total amount of PPCPs showed a trend of Qingxi country park > Jinze Reservoir > Taipu River basin. Principal component analysis showed that the main sources of pollution were animal antibiotics used in aquaculture and the discharge of domestic sewage. There was a significant correlation between lg K_oc and lg K_d (P<0.05), indicating that the organic carbon plays an important role in the distribution of the target PPCPs in water and sediments. The ecological risk assessment results revealed that the fungicides (TCC and TCS) in the surface waters showed a moderate risk to aquatic organisms of different trophic levels. The Qingxi country park and Jinze Reservoir were the regions with the highest ecological risks of PPCPs in surface water and sediment. The health risk entropy (HQ) of people of all age groups exposed through drinking was less than 1; however, with the continuous emission and accumulation of PPCPs, the pollution control of PPCPs in the environment still requires further attention.

[Seasonal Removal Efficiency and Degradation Products of Two Typical PPCPs in Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands]

The pollution of surface waters by pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has aroused widespread concern. Constructed wetlands (CWs) have outstanding advantages in the removal of PPCPs; however, few studies have focused on the interaction of different types of PPCPs in CWs. In this study, two typical PPCPs[broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (DCF)] were selected as target pollutants and their removal behavior in subsurface flow CWs was analyzed. The effects of different seasons and influent conditions (i.e., single and combined addition of TCS and DCF) on removal efficiency was also examined. The main parameters of the CW system were as follows:the up-flow subsurface CW had a hydraulic load of 0.20 m·d^-1 and a hydraulic residence time of 3 d with a continuous flow inlet. The initial influent concentration of PPCPs was 80 g·L^-1 for TCS and 25 g·L^-1 for DCF. The results showed that the average removal efficiencies for TCS and DCF in summer (91.72% and 85.86%, respectively) were significantly higher than in winter (52.88% and 32.47%, respectively). Independent sample t-tests confirmed that there was no significant difference in the removal efficiency of TCS and DCF under the different influent conditions (single and combined addition). The degradation products of TCS and DCF were also no different between the influent systems, and the representative degradation products of TCS were not detected in all systems. The main degradation products of DCF in the different systems were 3,5-dichlorobenzoic acid and m-dichlorobenzene. The two studied PPCPs showed no significant antagonism and competition effects at trace levels.

[Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of PPCPs in Drinking Water Sources of Henan Province]

The occurrence of emerging pollutants pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments has potential adverse effects on aquatic organisms, and the presence of PPCPs in drinking water sources is very likely to cause harm to human health. The PPCPs pollution in five typical drinking water sources in Henan province was investigated. Moreover, the source of pollutants was analyzed and the relevant ecological risks were evaluated. The results showed that the cumulative concentrations of 20 PPCPs at different sampling sites ranged from 24.2 to 317.6 ng·L^-1. Caffeine (CFI) was the highest level contaminant, with the concentration up to 186.4 ng·L^-1, followed by sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and ofloxacin (OFC), with detected concentrations up to 70.8 ng·L^-1 and 24.2 ng·L^-1, respectively. The pollution of PPCPs in Heigangkou drinking water sources was higher than those of other drinking water sources. The comparation of the labile indicator CFI and the conservative indicator carbamazepine (CBZ) concentrations implies that the pollutions from the upstream water and around scattered domestic sewage might be responsible for the PPCPs present in these drinking water sources. The risk quotient (RQ) calculation results indicated that the detected PPCPs in 5 drinking water sources have moderate to high risks to algae, while low to moderate risks to invertebrates and fish. Therefore, attention should be paid to relevant pollution control.

[Enhancing PPCPs Removal and Membrane Fouling Control of Ultrafiltration Membrane by UiO-66@Fe3O4@UiO-66]

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) adsorption and membrane fouling control were realized by a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane loaded with multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in this study. During adsorption, the multifunctional MOFs UiO-66@Fe₃O₄@UiO-66 in the mixed-matrix membrane (MMMs) could adsorb two typical PPCPs, salicylic acid (SA), and dimethyl phthalate (DMP), efficiently. In the membrane catalytic regeneration process, Fe₃O₄ in UiO-66@Fe₃O₄@UiO-66 could catalyze H₂O₂ to generate hydroxyl radicals (HO·), coupling MOFs/PVDF adsorption capacity regeneration and membrane cleaning. The results show that 10%MOFs/PVDF exhibits the highest adsorption efficiency for 0.1 mmol·L^-1 SA and DMP under neutral conditions, and the removal rate reached 64.2% and 46.1%, respectively. Additionally, the pure water flux and membrane adsorption capacity of 10%MOFs/PVDF were able to recover about 91.8% and 94.2%, respectively, using 5 mmol·L^-1 H₂O₂. In this research, the main characteristic of MOFs/PVDF is coupling of the membrane adsorption capacity regeneration and membrane fouling control process. This provides new ideas for the removal of PPCPs and the improvement of membrane anti-fouling performance during the deep purification of secondary effluent.

[Detection Method, Distribution, and Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea]

At present, research findings on pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in coastal areas are still unclear, and there is a need to develop a method to detect more PPCPs simultaneously in seawater. In this study, nine compounds of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, lipid regulators. and stimulants were selected as analytes. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used to extract the compounds, which were then analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The optimum experimental conditions, such as the filler, eluent, pH, flow rate, and the reduction of matrix effect were optimized during the SPE. The results showed that the best extraction column was CNW HLB, the best eluent was methanol:acetonitrile (1:1, volume ratio), the best eluent volume was 6 mL, the best pH was 7, the best flow rate was 5 mL·min^-1, the amount of EDTA-Na₂ added was 1 g, and the best concentration multiple was 500. The linear regression equations of all PPCPs had good linearity. Correlation coefficients were>0.999, recovery rates were between 82%-106%, relative standard deviations were between 1.6%-14%, and detection limits were between 0.01-2 ng·L^-1, thus satisfying the requirement of trace analysis in seawater. Distribution characteristics and sources of PPCPs were studied in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea during summer 2018. All nine PPCPs were detected and the main pollutants were NAP, IBU, GEM, CAF, and ASA. High concentrations of PPCPs were generally detected in the nearshore area and displayed conspicuous decreasing tendencies from the inshore towards the offshore. The concentrations of PPCPs in the Yellow Sea were higher than of those in the East China Sea, and this was related to there being more sources of pollutions and poor water exchange capacity in the Yellow Sea. Principal component analysis showed that the main source of PPCPs was terrestrial input. The environmental risk assessment of PPCPs indicated that risk quotients (RQs) of IBU and NAP (0.1-1) posed a medium risk to the aquatic environment, while others posed low risk to organisms.

[Advances in biodegradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products]

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a group of emerging environmental micropollutants, including prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs (e.g., antibiotics, synthetic musk, painkiller, depressor, contraceptive drugs, soporific and weight-loss drug), and personal care products (e.g., cosmetics, synthetic perfume, sunscreen, hair spray, tint and fungicide). Extensive attention has been paid to PPCPs because of their potential negative effects on the environments and human health. Abundant researches have focused on the biodegradation of PPCPs. This review summarizes and discusses the biodegradation method, the diversity of PPCPs-degrading microorganisms, the degradation ability, metabolites and proposed pathways as well as the mechanisms of PPCPs' biodegradation. In addition, prospects for further research on biodegradation of PPCPs are also discussed.

[Mechanisms and Efficiencies of Removal of PPCPs by Pilot River Water Bypass Treatment Process]

The pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) released into urban rivers are triggering certain ecological risks. The current study investigated the removal efficiencies of 30 frequently detected PPCPs by two river water bypass treatment processes (CS-BAF-UF-Ozone and CS-MBR-Ozone), and investigated the removal mechanism and eco-toxicological risk variation of target compounds via section-removal investigation and risk quotient model, respectively. Results indicated that both processes could efficiently remove the target PPCPs; the removal rates of tetracyclines and caffeine were>90% in the biological sections, while sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and other pharmaceuticals could only be efficiently removed when the COD of the influent and the water temperature were comparatively higher; the ozone process had particular effect on removing these compounds. The cumulative removal rate of all PPCPs during the whole process was higher than 92.5%. The total risk quotient (RQ_tot) of target PPCPs could be efficiently reduced by the bypass treatment processes; the RQ_tot decreased from 12.6 in the influent river water to 0.2 in the ozone effluent, with a removal rate of 98.4%.

Effects of extreme rainfall events on the distribution of selected emerging contaminants in surface and groundwater: The Guadalete River basin (SW, Spain)

This study is focused on the Guadalete River basin (SW, Spain), where extreme weather conditions have become common, with and alternation between periods of drought and extreme rainfall events. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur when heavy rainfall events exceed the capacity of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), as well as pollution episodes in parts of the basin due to uncontrolled sewage spills and the use of reclaimed water and sludge from the local WWTP. The sampling was carried out along two seasons and three campaigns during dry (March 2007) and extreme rainfall (April and December 2010) in the Guadalete River, alluvial aquifer and Jerez de la Frontera aquifer. Results showed minimum concentrations for synthetic surfactants in groundwater (<37.4μg·L^-1) during the first campaign (dry weather conditions), whereas groundwater contaminants increased in December 2010 as the heavy rainfall caused the river to overflow. In surface water, surfactant concentrations showed similar trends to groundwater observations. In addition to surfactants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were analyzed in the third campaign, 22 of which were detected in surface waters. Two fragrances (OTNE and galaxolide) and one analgesic/anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen) were the most abundant PPCPs (up to 6540, 2748 and 1747ng·L^-1, respectively). Regarding groundwater, most PPCPs were detected in Jerez de la Frontera aquifer, where a synthetic fragrance (OTNE) was predominant (up to 1285ng·L^-1).